COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations continue to decline in Orange County – NBC Los Angeles

Orange County reported 252 new cases of COVID-19 and 40 additional deaths on Sunday.

Hospitalizations continued to decline from 591 to 577 on Saturday, and the number of coronavirus patients in the intensive care unit decreased from 196 to 190, according to the Orange County Healthcare Agency.

The county has 15.7% of ICU beds and 59% of ventilators.

Of the 40 deaths reported on Sunday, eight were residents of skilled long-term care facilities and nine were residents of life support facilities, with deaths in these populations of 940 and 428, respectively. Increased to people. One was a skilled long-term care facility employee.

Death reports are staggered because they come from a variety of sources and are not always immediately logged.

The number on Sunday has resulted in a total of 244,632 cases and 3,810 deaths in the county since the pandemic began.

The county test positive rate was 7.8% and the adjusted case rate per 100,000 was 20.7. There were 12,110 tests reported on Sunday, for a total of 2,962,759. There were 223,522 documented collections.

Authorities were still waiting for news about vaccine replacement as the eastern winter storm prevented dose delivery.

The storm, which delayed the delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine nationwide, forced the closure of the Disneyland Super POD site in Orange County until at least Monday.

Weather supply shortages could also delay the opening of another new distribution point at the Anaheim Convention Center scheduled for next Wednesday.

Frank Kim, CEO of Orange County, said last week that “we haven’t got (more) vaccine yet, so we’re at least in a waiting pattern to temporarily shut down Disney POD.” Current timelines of Santa Ana University and Soka University. “

Vaccine distribution at Soka University and Santa Ana University was closed on Sunday. However, the Santa Ana University site was scheduled to close on Sundays and Mondays anyway.

State officials said more vaccines could be offered later this week, Kim said.

According to Kim, on Friday the county authorities will provide booster shots to seniors through a mobile clinic set up to reach seniors who must assist in registering with the county’s Otena app and website. The few vaccines left were used. Kim explained that it’s easier to rescheduling shots of residents who could navigate the technology and schedule their own.

Those who need booster shots don’t have to worry about being a little late, he said. According to Dr. Clayton Chau, Chief Health Officer of the county and director of the Orange County Healthcare Agency, manufacturers say booster shots can be delivered up to six weeks late.

Starting this week, the county will allocate 70% of the vaccine to residents aged 65 and over, and the rest to a new category of workers targeted for shots by the state. They include teachers, childcare providers and workers in the food industry.

An approximately two-hour rally was held in the Los Angeles State Historic District to raise awareness of increasing violence against Asia-Pacific communities. NBC4 News will report on February 20, 2021 at 11:00 pm.

“This change in eligibility guidelines means slowing the deployment of vaccines for individuals currently eligible for Phase 1a, and for people over the age of 65,” Chau said in a memo to county authorities on Friday. It was.

Only booster shots will be available at Disneyland, Soka and Anaheim Convention Centers from Tuesday to March 2, according to Chau. Teachers, child care providers, and food workers can take pictures at Santa Ana College or school campuses in a program coordinated by the Orange County Ministry of Education.

If the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine is approved as expected on February 26, county officials will help increase vaccine distribution, Chau said.